With My Profound Love, I Offer to the Years

...............

After returning from school, Shen Nian fell ill. The examination revealed she had caught a cold, and she was advised to take medication and rest to recover.

"Cough, cough, cough..." She lay in bed, coughing violently, her face pale and extremely weak.

She grabbed a handful of cold and cough medicine, stuffed them into her mouth, and washed them down with water.

"Cough, cough..." No sooner had she finished drinking than she started coughing again. The medicine had just gone down her throat when the sudden coughing fit made her start to retch.

Shen Nian quickly pulled over the trash can and leaned over the edge of the bed to vomit.

All the medicine she had just taken came back up.

She didn't know how long she had been vomiting, but it felt like she had emptied her entire stomach. Towards the end, with nothing left to bring up, she was just dry heaving.

Finally, when she managed to calm down, she reached for the cup on her bedside table, took a sip of water, rinsed her mouth, and spat into the trash can.

She had been taking medication for several days now, with no visible improvement. In fact, her condition seemed to be worsening.

In just a few short days, Shen Nian had lost five pounds, making her already slim figure appear even more gaunt.

A bitter taste of medicine lingered in her throat. The cold capsules she had been taking had a particularly strong, nauseating smell that made her want to vomit just by catching a whiff of them.

She leaned back in bed, closing her eyes to compose herself.

Having thrown up everything, Shen Nian felt a bit hungry, but the bitterness in her mouth left her with no appetite.

"Ding dong — Ding dong —"

Her phone chimed beside her. Eyes still closed, she felt around for it, grabbed it, and slowly opened her eyes.

She tapped on the screen to find a voice message of several dozen seconds from Xiao Mubai.

Xiao Mubai had been away on a business trip and wasn't in the capital. He had said he wouldn't be back until the end of the month at the earliest.

She played the voice message, and Xiao Mubai's warm, pleasant voice came through the speaker.

"Nian Nian, I've got news about the houses you asked me to list. A wealthy businessman is very interested and wants to buy both properties. In a few days, the boss's secretary will come to view the houses on his behalf. If everything checks out, we can sign the contracts. Could you give me the passcodes for both of your houses? I'll arrange for someone to meet with them."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Shen Nian covered her mouth as she coughed. After catching her breath, she replied with a voice message.

"Alright, please negotiate with the buyer on my behalf and ask if they can give me a month's grace period. I'll move out as soon as possible. Also, could you ask about the payment method? Is it possible to expedite the payment?"

She rushed through her response, releasing the recording button just before another coughing fit hit her.

Her bronchitis was severe.

While coughing, she typed out the passcodes for both the Shen family home and her current residence, sending them to Xiao Mubai.

Xiao Mubai quickly sent another voice message in reply.

"Don't worry about that. I've already inquired beforehand. The buyer isn't planning to move in; he's purchasing both properties as an investment."

The two houses boasted excellent locations and neighborhood environments, especially given that they were in the capital. The conditions were impeccable. It was expected that the property values would increase by tens of thousands per square meter in the next two years. Such houses were like treasures, and only Shen Nian would put them up for sale.

"The buyer is very accommodating. He said that as long as he's satisfied with the properties, he can pay in full on the spot."

Shen Nian coughed a few more times before replying with a voice message: "Thank you."

After exchanging a few more words with Xiao Mubai, Shen Nian was about to put down her phone.

Just as she was about to turn it off, "Ding dong, ding dong" — several more WeChat messages came through.

Thinking it was Xiao Mubai again, she opened them, only to find they were from Liang Jinghe.

Liang Jinghe had sent her an electronic wedding invitation, accompanied by a message —

[Assistant Shen, I had intended to hand-deliver my wedding invitation to you, but when I went to the company today, I learned you were on leave. Since I don't know your home address, I couldn't send it by courier. After some thought, I decided to send you an electronic version. We sincerely invite you to attend my wedding with Lingchuan. We also want to express our gratitude for your assistance to Lingchuan over the years.]

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..." Shen Nian's coughing made her lungs ache terribly, but she still opened the electronic wedding invitation.

It was a rather nice little animation, starting with two cartoon characters — a girl with long hair and a boy with short hair. They meet, fall in love, then enter the hall of marriage, and grow old together, their hair turning from black to gray.

Set to beautiful background music, the animation concluded with the appearance of an invitation.

Shen Nian coughed as she read the text on the screen.

"Two families unite, a covenant made in one hall. May this good match last forever, a perfect pair in name and deed."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Her coughing was particularly severe, yet she persisted in reading.

"On this day, as peach blossoms bloom brilliantly, may your home be filled with harmony. In the years to come, may your descendants multiply and prosper... cough, cough... We hereby pledge our commitment to grow old together, inscribing it on this auspicious paper, recording our autumn leaf vow in the book of love."

"We cordially invite you to attend our wedding on December 24th..." Her breathing became labored, her chest heaving noticeably.

"To witness our happiness firsthand... To witness us embarking on a new life... We hope to receive your blessings."

"Groom, Lu Lingchuan."

"Bride, Liang Jinghe..."

Shen Nian stared at the date, December 24th.

December 24th, Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas Day on the 25th...

It truly was a wonderful date, both easy to remember and meaningful.

How nice.

She tried to force a smile on her pale face, only to be interrupted by another coughing fit.

The bedside table was already stacked with numerous medicine boxes, all the ones she had been taking over the past few days, religiously and on schedule, yet with no effect.

Covering her mouth, she coughed while reaching for the medicines, throwing them one by one into the trash can.

There was no need to keep ineffective medicines.

...............

The following days returned to a state of calm, with the wedding date drawing ever closer.

For both the bride and groom, the night before the wedding was their last night of singlehood. They would party late into the night, bidding farewell to their single selves, knowing that after entering marriage, they could no longer be as carefree and uninhibited as before. They would have to nurture their own little family.

Everyone knew Lu Lingchuan was getting married, and a group of his business partners clamored to throw him a bachelor party.

Lu Lingchen searched everywhere but couldn't find Lu Lingchuan. Only after inquiring with several waiters did he learn of his whereabouts.

When he stepped onto the rooftop, Lu Lingchuan was sitting there, smoking.

He blended into the darkness, silent and eerily quiet.

Lu Lingchen didn't speak, just quietly walked over and sat down beside him.

After Lu Lingchuan finished his third cigarette and was about to light his fourth, Lu Lingchen finally couldn't help but interrupt.

"Stop smoking. You're going to turn into a chimney at this rate."

No matter how strong your cigarette addiction is, you can't just chain-smoke one after another without pause.

"..." Upon hearing Lu Lingchen's words, Lu Lingchuan's hand froze as he was about to reach for a cigarette.

Seeing his excessive silence, Lu Lingchen deliberately reminded him, "Tomorrow is your big day, groom-to-be."

These words struck a chord with Lu Lingchuan. His hand trembled violently, causing the cigarette pack to fall to the ground. He didn't immediately pick it up, just hanging his head instead.

After a long silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Have you been in contact with her recently?"